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Although Richards was at risk of going straight to jail to serve the two year sentence plus an extra term for the harassment offence, Judge Michael Harington gave him another chance. He fined him £1,000 for the harassment and took no action about the suspended sentence breach.

Prosecutor Gareth Williams said Richards had been harassing Ms Benson during the period December 28, 2016, to March 17 this year.

On March 4 he had received the two-year suspended sentence for breaking into New Barn Farm, Temple Guiting, and stealing £10,000 worth of jewellery.

But that sentence did not deter him and he continued the harassment of the woman, culminating in the incident on March 16 at her home, Mr Williams said.

Gloucester Crown Court

It was all about his demands for access to his daughter and on March 16 he phoned her saying "everything is coming to you. You have brought it on yourself."

Mr Williams said: "She called the police straightaway. She heard a car pull up outside and there was then loud banging on the door. It was so ferocious that the door was shaking and there was vibrating throughout the house.

"She reports feeling terrified. She says she was crying, screaming, and begging on the phone for help. She was so scared because she felt the door was coming in. She barricaded herself in her bedroom.

"She was screaming to him that she was on telephone to the police. She then heard the car drive off and the police arrived shortly afterwards.

"He messaged her several times following this and tried to call her numerous times, being abusive."

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In a victim statement she said: "I have lived in my property for 15 years and now I do not feel safe inside like a person should do when at home. When he was at my door I felt powerless because I didn't know what he would do when he was inside. I became overwhelmed with emotion and I was terrified for my daughter's safety."

She has now been prescribed anti-anxiety medication, she added.

The prosecutor said Richards had 40 previous convictions for 125 offences.

Alex Daymond, defending, submitted it would be unjust to activate Richards' suspended sentence because the harassment was an entirely different kind of offence and would not have resulted in an immediate jail term on its own.

He also pointed out that Richards had spent 5-6 weeks in custody on remand after his arrest in March.

Richards had stopped using drugs and had a job - he was in a very different place now to when he committed the offence in March, he added.